Thoughts on the Rangers 6 game point streak

Don’t look now, but with the Rangers 6 game point streak and a 5-1-2 record to start the 2025 calendar year, they are right back in the thick of things. They’ve already leapfrogged Pittsburgh in the standings and sit one point back of the Flyers with 2 games in hand. They are 4 points back of the Bruins, also with 2 games in hand, and with two games against Boston before the 4 Nations Tournament. The Rangers, as they say, are alive.

1. It’s worth noting that I’m saying that the Rangers 6 game point streak has given them life, not they have returned or are playing up to their potential. But you have to start somewhere. The team needed some wins and points to build confidence, and from there, the process follows and they start matching performance with points. None of the teams ahead of them are good, and the Rangers should be far better than their record indicates.

2. Though not perfect in the Rangers 6 game point streak, it’s the overall team defense that has shown improvements. In particular, the Rangers may have finally figured out how to limit high danger chances against.

As Luker points out, the high danger chances against have finally leveled out. The Rangers are at their best when they force opponents to the outside, which is the whole basis of the hybrid man/zone system. There was no logical explanation for the sudden inability to defend this year, given it’s the same team and the same system that won a President’s Trophy last season.

It hasn’t been perfect, but progress is progress. A few tweaks here and there, and the defense should be better.

3. One of those tweaks should be inserting Zac Jones in for Ryan Lindgren, but we all know that isn’t happening. That ship has sailed. Jones will be traded, and I am of the belief Lindgren will be traded. The Rangers’ biggest need at the deadline is a true 1LD.

Before K’Andre Miller’s improved play with Will Borgen, I would have said just shift Miller up to play with Fox. But given how good that pair has looked recently, there’s no reason to break them up. Braden Schneider and Urho Vaakanainen haven’t been great, but they’ve been serviceable and improving daily as the third pair.

4. If the Rangers 6 game point streak is evident of anything, it’s that the Blueshirts are pretty much ok as constructed, and without any major moves should still make the playoffs. That means a tear down probably isn’t happening, which means no Chris Kreider trade or anything even remotely signaling a rebuild. Chris Drury has the pieces to land that 1LD and hopefully solidify the blue line, but it’s about who is available. Ottawa and Thomas Chabot would be the prize, but that’s highly unlikely.

5. Elias Pettersson would be the Matthew Tkachuk type move, but that’s a long shot. JT Miller doesn’t move the needle, though a Miller/Mika Zibanejad swap would at least be a sideways move that gets the Rangers into a better cap situation in the long term. The salaries are the same, but it’s the contract terms that make Miller’s deal easier to manage. But I don’t see something like this happening unless one side budges, for either player.

6. There’s a long way to go before we can deem the Rangers “back” though. The Rangers 6 game point streak and 5-1-2 record to start 2025 is a good starting point, but they need more, as previously discussed. The February break for the ill-conceived 4 Nations Tournament will be the inflection point. If the Rangers are still in it, and the run up leading to the break is where they need to make a run, then we should expect a combination of buying and selling.

If not, then the Rangers will mostly be sellers and look to retool at the draft. They have the prospects to make big moves, and a true sell off would give them the picks as well.

Still, I wouldn’t expect a major move with the young players like K’Andre Miller no matter how the season plays out. These moves seem like draft day moves, not trade deadline moves. Even the move for a 1LD seems like a draft day move.

7. So what improvements can we expect, given the Rangers 6 game point streak? It’s tough to gauge. We all know Lindgren has played himself into a villain, and it’s critical that the Rangers 6 game point streak doesn’t change their plans with him. He’s a net negative on the ice and probably the weakest link on the Rangers right now. This needs to be rectified, and given how much he plays, it’s addition by subtraction.

I truly wonder what the Rangers would look like right now if they either traded him in the offseason or didn’t rush him back to the lineup in October. So many what-ifs with this team right now.

8. It’s never fun to be in a wait-and-see period, but that’s where we are. The Rangers 6 game point streak and 5-1-2 record in January has moved us from pure sellers to wait-and-see. There’s no wrong answer to their immediate plans this season either, which makes all the takes both valid and silly at the same time, if that makes any sense.

A full tear down? Makes sense, but seems silly too.

Going all-in? Makes sense given the roster, but also seems silly.

A bit of both? Again makes sense given the issues, but also seems silly.

Purgatory isn’t fun. They dug themselves a big hole in December, but the Rangers 6 game point streak where they got 10 points out of 12 put them back into the purgatory area. The next 10 games will prove them to be contenders or sellers. We just need to be patient and see how this plays out.

With 3-5 inches of snow coming this weekend, maybe go outside and have a snowball fight to blow off some steam. It’s going to be a stressful few weeks.